Fresh and Green, Devon

This highly productive holding was created from scratch on 4.98ha of south facing grade 1 agricultural land, in 2003. The grower and her family have had to get planning permission for an agricultural workers’ dwelling and build all the infrastructure, but starting on a bare land holding this was the only affordable option due to the high cost of equivalent sized farms. Vegetables are grown outdoors and in three large polytunnels on 2ha, and sold via a box scheme feeding 80 households.

A small orchard and 100 square metres of soft fruit bushes, two flocks of laying hens (70 birds total) and 9 pigs provide additional income streams for the holding, which generates a modest livelihood for the grower and her family. Outdoor crops are cultivated with a tractor, but the high yields are made possible by a high proportion of hand labour such as picking peas, beans and leafy crops over a longer period than would be possible with mechanised harvest. The holding employs 1.4 full time equivalents